Kingdom's Edge (8 page)

A NEW BEGINNING

The sun was nearing the horizon before I found enough energy to move. My tears were gone and so was my hope. I raised myself to my knees and wiped away the trails of dirt on my face.
What now?
I wondered.

My head hurt and my soul was empty.

Still on my knees, I looked over the grass and brush and realized that my blind run had brought me to familiar country. Our training area was nearby. I moved to stand up, but my eyes caught a glimpse of the unbelievable. Just an arm's length away was the Prince's sword, its blade embedded in the soft soil.

I stood and pulled the sword from the ground and held it before me in open palms. The memories of the Prince came back to me like a flood.

“Why did You have to die?” I asked out loud, certain that I would never find an answer.

“Cedric, what are we going to do?” William tried to break into my muddled thoughts as I stared at nothing.

Most of the Knights of the Prince had been scattered, but we had managed to meet with a dozen fellow knights in secret. Barrett's shop had a back room with no windows. We locked the doors and spoke in hushed tones.

“Yes, Cedric, what happens now?” Rob asked. “Do we try to get to another city or flee the kingdom altogether?”

“No,” I finally said. “First we must honor the memory of the Prince and give Him a proper burial.”

“What!” Rob said. “Are you mad, Cedric? The Noble Knights have purposely left His body hanging from that tree as a message to all the people. If we try to take Him down, we'll be found out and killed immediately!”

“Not if we go now, Rob,” I said. “It's the middle of the night, and we can be quick about it. They have posted only two guards. Some of us can set up a diversion while the others cut down the body. This is something we must do. They have disgraced the Prince and the King!”

A long moment of silence was my only answer. I moved toward the door hoping that at least a few men would follow. Some did.

William, Rob, Barrett, and I stealthily moved from street to street, making our way toward the square. The others stayed behind.

“How are we going to do this with only four of us?” William whispered as we crossed our last street before reaching the square.

“I'm not sure,” I whispered back. “Let's take a look at the square from behind that brick wall by those trees. We'll form a plan from there.”

We moved carefully to the low brick wall. Our backs were completely covered by the thick trees on one side, and the brick wall protected the other. From this vantage point, we could easily see the entire square, including the large oak tree in the center, thanks to the light of a half-moon.

Something was wrong.

My eyes were fully adjusted to the dim light, but I could not see the body of the Prince. I forced my eyes to decipher what must be an illusion caused by shadows. As I focused more carefully, I could see the rope, but His body was gone.

© Marcella Johnson

“What did they do with His body?” I asked the other three.

“I don't know,” Barrett said. “But look on the ground beneath the tree. The guards are either asleep or knocked out cold.”

“I don't like this, Cedric,” Rob said. “Let's get out of here before we're found out and hanged ourselves.”

At that moment, we froze and my heart nearly stopped beating. Just a few feet away, on the other side of
the brick wall, stood a large man. In our earnest desire to see what had happened at the oak tree, this fellow must have quietly made his way to our cover and was now upon us.

“Why do you look for the Prince here?” the man said in a thick accent I'd never heard before.

“We came to bury the body,” I said. “Can you tell us where they've taken the body, sir? Where is the Prince?”

The large fellow gave a slight chuckle. “Do not worry. The Prince will find you!”

With the speed of a cat, he jumped the brick wall and disappeared into the shadows of some trees. I thought I heard a scrape of steel on brick as he crossed the wall. He was gone as quickly as he appeared.

“What is that supposed to mean?” William asked.

“I don't know,” I said. “But I agree with Rob. It's time to leave this place. Let's get back to Barrett's shop.”

“W
HAT DO YOU MEAN
someone's taken the body?” asked Jonathan, one of the other knights in Barrett's back room. “Surely it must have been the Noble Knights. No one is foolish enough to try such a risky task—present company excluded, of course.”

“Look, if it was the Noble Knights, then why were two guards sleeping beneath an empty oak tree in the middle of the square?” Rob asked. “The guards must have been overtaken and knocked out. Then someone took the body. I don't know why, but maybe it was the large fellow who nearly scared us out of our wits.”

“What large fellow?” a fellow knight asked.

“Just as we were getting ready to leave, a large—”

I stopped midsentence. Footsteps were approaching from outside Barrett's shop. We all grabbed for our swords.

“Someone must have followed you,” Jonathan whispered.

The footsteps grew louder. We stared at the back door. There were at least six men by the sound of the boots on the cobblestone. We braced ourselves for the deadly fight that surely would come if these were Noble Knights.

The men walked to our door … and passed. We all breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed our swords.

“Greetings, gentlemen.” A voice spoke from behind us, yet was in the same room.

I dared not turn to see the owner of the voice. It was familiar. Too familiar. The hair on my arms and neck stood straight, and I could tell that the others felt the near terror too. I did not fear the voice, but rather what the voice meant.

I must be going mad
, I thought.

Slowly I turned, my eyes leading the way. Once I saw the author of those words, I stumbled back, catching myself on a center support beam. There were no words on my tongue or coherent thoughts in my mind.

Before us stood the Prince!

Some of the knights stumbled into chairs, while others grabbed something to keep themselves from falling. Two were making their way toward the back door.

I saw the scars on His body, but His strength and power seemed to be even more accentuated.

“Do not be afraid, My friends,” the Prince said. “I am
not a ghost, and you are not going mad. Please sit down and let Me explain.”

“M-my Lord,” I stammered, “how can this be? I saw You die. I saw You hang on the tree. What trick or miracle is this?”

“A trick it is not, My dear Cedric. But miracle? Ah, yes. You see, gentlemen, My Father is not only wise and wealthy, but He also commands power that none here can comprehend. The Noble Knights will not believe, though they see Me with their own eyes. That is why My Father sent Me here to train you. You are privileged, My friends. You are part of the plan to restore His kingdom.”

Slowly we came to believe that what we saw was not an apparition but truly the Prince we'd grown to love and serve. Terror and shock were eventually replaced by joy and excitement.

“Now You can help us defeat this evil Kifus and the Noble Knights, my Lord?” Rob asked.

“No, Rob. I must return to My Father's kingdom, and you will not fight Kifus and the Noble Knights.”

“Then what is this all for, my Lord?” William asked.

“You must remember what I taught you and why I taught you. Your battle is with the greater foe, the Dark Knight. Do not be fooled. He also has powers that will amaze and trick many people. You must stay strong and wary. He knows I have trained you, and he will seek to destroy you before I can return. You must add to the Knights of the Prince. Be vigilant in your training, and above all, stay true to the Code. I was your example. Now you must be the example to others!”

Those same compassionate eyes—eyes that burned like fire—took each of us in.

“Why must You leave us again, my Prince?” I asked. I did not share the Prince's confidence in us.

“Cedric, your heart is strong in the Code. Trust in it and in Me. As long as you live by the Code, I will be with you. What I have taught you will not fail you. I go to prepare our kingdom across the sea for the battle that must come with the Dark Knight and his Shadow Warriors. Do not be afraid. I will come back for you.”

I looked at the strong face of the Prince and found my hope again.

“Your sword is here, my Prince,” I said.

I retrieved the cloth that held His glorious sword from the same chest Leinad had stored it in for so many years.

“It found me in my despair,” I said and held the sword before the Prince.

He smiled and lifted it from my hands. “Do not forget, My friends. It is the Code that makes the sword worth carrying.”

We all knelt before Him and then bid Him farewell.

I was lonely again, but this time I knew it would not last forever.

WE BUILD